Lana Lang and the Seven Tiny Titans
by Daniel Fielder
Summary: To escape her jealous step-mother, Princess Lana finds shelter in the home of seven orphans.
1. I'm Wishing

I was inspired to do this by Jsrashad's Snow White and the Seven Peanuts project.

Disclaimer: Snow White belongs to Disney, and Smallville, and any other DC characters I use, belong to Warner Brothers, CW, and their respective creators.

* * *

 **Lana Lang and the Seven Tiny Titans**

Chapter 1: I'm Wishing

Once upon a time, the queen of a humble but prosperous kingdom was knitting by the window. She was knitting an outfit for her expected child.

"I cannot wait to tend to a baby." The queen said.

As the queen continued to knit, she pricked her finger, and a drop of red blood fell on a small brown banister she was sitting near. She liked how it looked together.

"How lovely my child would be if she had eyes as perfectly colored as this banister, like trees, with brown hair… And blood-red lips."

Shortly after this wish, her daughter was born, but the queen used a good deal too much of her strength to bring the child into the world, so she only had enough strength to see that she was exactly how she dreamed she'd look, and she named her Lana. Shortly afterwards, the king, Lewis, died as well, and Tinya was raised by her father's second wife, now the Queen.

Lana was lovely and full of life and laughter and very in tune with her emotions. Her step-mother Margaret Isobel Theroux, however, feared that one day, Lana's beauty would surpass her own. Because of this, she usually dressed Lana in rags except for very special occasions where she couldn't afford to without appearing weak to her allies. Despite this, Lana still enjoyed life and dreamed of the day she'd find the man she would love.

Every day, Isobel went to a magic mirror she'd bought after her husband's death and asked, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all?" And as long as the mirror replied that she was the fairest, Lana would live for another day, safe from her step-mother's jealousy…

()()()()()

Isobel walked over to the mirror. It had been ten years since her husband's death when she ascended to the throne, and she enjoyed it immensely. It was time for her daily check to make sure she was still on top of the beauty game. She could tell sixteen years ago when she first met Lana that she could not afford to let her subjects decide they liked Lana better than her. They might overthrow her… Or worse, take her off their money!

She arrived at the mirror and raised her hands as she recited the incantation.

"Slade, slave of the magic mirror, come from the farthest space." Isobel recited as she crossed her arms. "Through wind and darkness, I summon thee. Speak! Let me see thy face."

In a burst of flames, the face of Slade appeared… If you could call it a face as only a mask with a moving eye appeared. The mask was black on the right side, orange on the other. The eye stared blankly at her.

"What wouldst thou know, my queen?" Slade asked in his usual monotone voice.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," Isobel recited. "Who is the fairest of them all?"

"Famed is thy beauty, majesty." Slade responded as his eyes widened slightly. "But hold… A lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee."

"Alas for _her_!" Isobel spat out as her eyes glowed purple. "What's her name?!"

"Lips red as the rose." Slade responded calmly. "Hair black as and eyes brown as a tree."

"Lana!" Isobel said through her teeth as her eyes glowed ever brighter.

()()()()()

Lana was washing the stairs of the palace as she hummed to herself. She was almost done, and she was happy for her good life. True she had to work every day, but it had helped keep her strong, and she knew that when she got married, she'd be able to have a family again. She had missed that part of her life when she had a father _and_ a mother. She had made friends with all the other ambassadors that lived on the planet.

She finished the stairs and sighed contentedly as she picked up the pail and prepared to put it back in the well as several doves watched her. She put the pail in and looked at them.

"Wanna hear a secret?" Lana asked.

The doves nodded. Lana had a way with animals. They were her closest friends here.

"Promise not to tell?" Lana asked again, and the doves shook their heads.

" _We are standing by a wishing well._ "

Lana then pointed at the hole in the well.

 _Make a wish into the well,_

 _That's all you have to do._

 _And if you hear it echoing,_

 _Your wish will soon come true._

Lana then put her head near the well.

 _I'm wishing… (I'm wishing…)_

 _For the one I love,_

 _To find me… (To find me…)_

 _Today. (Today.)_

 _I'm hoping… (I'm hoping…)_

 _And I'm dreaming of,_

 _The nice things… (The nice things…)_

 _He'll say. (He'll say.)_

Had Lana known it, that day, a person from the country of America was passing by the palace when he heard Lana singing. His name was Clark, and he had been on a school trip with his friends. Clark thought it was the nicest, sweetest voice he'd ever heard and hopped over the wall to see who it was and saw a girl, the prettiest one he'd ever seen, and her kind nature, which he could easily see on her face in the way her eyes looked in conjunction with her mouth's movements, only made her more beautiful.

Lana continued singing as the well echoed back.

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. (Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.)_

 _Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!_

 _I'm wishing… (I'm wishing…)_

 _For the one I love,_

 _To find me… (To find me…)_

 _Today._

" _Today!_ " Clark sang out as he appeared next to Tinya.

"Oh!" Lana exclaimed as she jumped back. The boy had caught her by surprise.

"Hello." The boy said. "My name is Clark. I didn't frighten you, did I?"

Lana ran off as she didn't want someone she'd just met to see her in her work clothes.

"Wait." Clark called out. "Wait please! Don't run away."

Lana ran into the castle, but Clark called out.

 _Now that I've found you,_

 _Hear what I have to say!_

Lana then walked out against her first instinct and listened.

 _One song, I have but one song._

 _One song, only for you._

Lana swooned and tidied herself up as best as she could.

 _One heart, steadily beating._

 _Constant and true!_

Lana looked down and found herself falling in love with him as he fell in love with her.

 _One love that has possessed me._

 _One love, brimming with truth._

 _One song, my hear keeps singing._

 _Of one love, only for you._

Lana smiled and came down as she kissed Clark gently on his cheek.

"I'm Lana." Lana said. "I hope that I see you again."

"Me too." Clark said. He kissed her hand and went off.

()()()()()

Unknown to either lover, Isobel watched from a high up window and scowled. Lana would pay for putting her at number two.

* * *

Well… This idea just came with me, so I went with it. Please tell me what ya think.


	2. With a Smile and a Song

Chapter Two: With a Smile and a Song

Shortly after Lana met Clark, Isobel was talking to the American ambassador, Carter Hall, who had sworn to serve her as part of a pact she made to help the Americans.

"Take her far into the forests of Kansas." Isobel said. "Find a nice secluded place where she can pick wild flowers."

"Yes your majesty." Carter said.

"And there, my faithful friend, you will _kill_ her." Isobel said with a mad glint in her eyes.

"But your majesty, the little princess-" Carter argued before Isobel stood up, and her eyes glowed purple.

"SILENCE!" Isobel ordered. "You know the penalty if you fail."

The penalty would be that Carter's wife, Shayera, and their family would all be executed, and Carter would be forced to watch.

"Yes… Your majesty…" Carter said in a defeated voice.

"And just to make sure that you don't fail, bring back her heart in this." Isobel pulled out a red box with golden trim. The lock was a golden heart with a golden dagger cutting into it.

()()()()()

A few days later, Carter took Lana to Kansas, where he was known as Hawkman for the hawk-like wings sprouting out of his back. Lana was walking through a forest on Earth that she had never been to, and she was excited about all the lovely flowers there. She also hoped that she'd meet Clark there before she had to go back home.

 _One song, I have but one song._

 _One song, only for you._

She hummed the song he sang to her, their song, to herself as she picked as many wild flowers as she could carry. Suddenly, she saw a small blue bird chirping not far off.

"Oh hello there." Lana said as she turned to the baby bird. "What's the matter?"

The bird chirped fearfully, and Lana recognized it as the fears of a lost child.

"Where are your mother and father? Are you lost?" Lana asked, and the bird began to cry. "Oh, please don't cry. Come on, cheer up. Won't you smile for me?"

The bird chirped happily.

"That's better." Lana said encouragingly. "Your mother and father can't be far away. Oh, there they are. Good-bye little one. Good-bye."

The bird flew off to his parents as Lana smiled.

()()()()()

Carter meanwhile, pulled out his Nth Metal Axe and held it loosely as he walked to Lana. Just after Lana helped the bird find his parents, Carter raised his axe as Lana turned around and screamed. She prepared to defend herself as best she could against the axe, but she knew that it was no use when Carter dropped his axe.

"I can't." Carter said. "I can't do it. Forgive me, your highness. I beg you."

Carter fell to his knees and bowed his head.

"I don't understand." Lana said in a confused voice.

"She's mad." Carter said. "Jealous of you! She'll stop at nothing!"

"Who?" Lana asked.

"The queen!" Carter said.

"The queen?" Lana said. How could her step-mother do such a terrible thing?

"Run for it, child!" Carter said. "Run! Go away and hide in the woods! Anywhere, just never come back! Go!" Lana still stood there nervously. "GO!"

Lana rushed off into the forest as Carter picked up his axe and walked to a nearby wild boar. He'd give the queen something alright.

()()()()()

Lana ran into the woods, and in her panicked state, every tree seemed to have eyes, and their branches were clawed hands trying to reach out and grab her! She eventually fell down into a pond, and when she got up, she saw two logs that seemed to be alligators and ran out where she was surrounded by frightening trees that starred at her darkly before she screamed and fell crying. It was all over.

()()()()()

As she cried, she realized something, no one was attacking her. She looked up to find that it was still daylight, and the eyes were simply the animals of the forest. She even noticed the squirrels, the dear, and the birds. When a rabbit came up to her, she startled at the creature rubbing its nose next to her face, and they scattered.

"Oh, don't go away." Lana said as she felt her confidence return. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just surprised. I was very frightened, and all because I was afraid of things that weren't really scary. I'm so ashamed over the fuss that I have made. What do you do when things go wrong?"

The birds tweeted.

"Ooh!" Lana said happily. "You sing a song!"

The birds chirped a yes.

" _Ah-ha-ha, ha, ha._ " Lana sang, and the baby bird she'd helped before sang along.

 _Ah-ha-ha, ha, ha._

 _Ahhh… Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha._

The bird tried to follow along again, but he failed to hit Lana's high notes, but Tinya just chuckled happily.

 _With a smile and a song,_

 _Life is just like a bright sunny day._

 _Your cares fade away._

 _And your heart is young._

 _With a smile and a song,_

 _All the world seems to waken anew,_

 _Rejoices with you._

 _As the sung is sung._

More animals came out to listen to Lana's singing. A chipmunk came up and rested on Lana's lap.

 _There's no use in grumbling_

 _When raindrops come tumbling._

 _Remember, you're the one_

 _Who can fill the world with sunshine._

She then petted a faun that had come up, and the rabbit who had come up to her before laid his head down on her legs.

 _When you smile and you sing,_

 _Everything is in tune and it's spring_

 _And life flows along,_

 _With a smile and a song._

The animals then all cheered, and Lana felt that maybe things would not be so bad for her now.

* * *

That was fun.


	3. Whistle While You Work

Chapter Three: Whistle While You Work

"I really feel quite happy now." Lana said with a smile. "I'm sure I'll get along somehow. Everything's going to be alright… But I do need a place to sleep at night."

She petted the bunny by her leg.

"I can't sleep in the ground like you." Lana said. She then looked at the squirrels. "Or in a tree like you do, and I'm sure I could never fit in a bird's nest." Then she got a brilliant idea! "Maybe you know where I could stay in these woods!"

The birds and other animals all made their respective ways of saying yes.

"You do?!" Lana said with a smile. She wasn't sure if that would really work. "Will you take me there?"

The birds and dear then led Lana to a small cabin. When she saw the cabin, she noticed that it looked quite modest.

"Oh it's adorable!" Lana said in delight. "It looks just like a doll house!"

Lana then walked up to the house.

"I like it here." Lana then looked into the window, but she couldn't make out anything inside. "It's dark in there."

Lana then knocked. Nothing happened. Maybe no one heard her. She knocked again, but there still wasn't an answer.

"Well, I guess there's nothing for it." Lana said as she tested the door knob and found it unlocked. "Oh."

She went in with the animals.

"Hello?" Lana called out. No one answered. "I guess no one is being home."

Lana walked around and figured that she could just stay and wait for the people to come home. She noticed several toys on the ground and thought, _Maybe I could be their nanny and take care of their child… Or children._

Lana then squealed with delight as she saw a small chair. She looked down at it as the animals came in too.

"What a cute little chair!" Lana said. She then noticed that there were several more. "Wait a moment, there are seven little chairs. There must be seven little children here." She then looked at a very messy table with cups, plates, and all manner of left over garbage on the table. "And from the look of the table seven untidy little children."

She walked over and saw what was on there.

"Toys at the table." Lana said as she picked up a small bird-shaped boomerang small enough for a ten-year-old to play with. She then saw a sock. "A sock too?!" Lana then opened a pot and took out, "A shoe?"

Lana whistled with the birds. She then walked to the fire place.

"Covered in dust, of course." Lana blew, and several chipmunks sneezed. "And cobwebs everywhere. A pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and just look at that broom!"

The broom laid there as if it hadn't ever been used.

"I doubt they've ever swept this room." Lana said. "You'd think their mother would-" Then she stopped as she realized something. "Maybe they don't have a mother. Then they'd be orphans. Oh, those poor little children. Maybe we should clean the house, and surprise them when they come back from… Whatever they're doing… Then maybe they will let me stay."

Lana then looked around, and her new friends did as well.

"Alright, squirrels, you wash the dishes." Lana said. "And rabbits, tidy up the room. Deer, clean the fireplace, and I'll use the broom."

The birds then whistled to commence the large project Lana had suggested.

 _Just whistle while you work._

 _And cheerfully together we can tidy up this place._

 _So hum a merry tune._

 _It won't take long when there's a song to help us set the pace._

The singing actually did keep everyone lively enough to keep on track. Lana was easily sweeping the room and standing on chairs to deal with the cobwebs. The squirrels used rags and their own tails to wash the dishes, and the dear used their tails to dust the fireplace, and the stags used their antlers to help the smaller animals make Starfire's job easier by dusting the walls and everywhere they could reach.

 _And as you sweep the room_

 _Imagine that the broom is someone that you love_

 _And soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune._

"Oh, no, no." Lana said as one of the fauns was trying to clean a plate by licking it. "Those go in the tub."

Lana then handed a plate to the squirrel, and he put it there.

"Why don't you help your parents?" Lana asked.

The dear smiled and cleaned the fire place with his mother.

As a rabbit was pushing dirt under the rug, Lana caught them.

"Nah-uh." Lana said kindly but firmly. "Pushing dirt under a rug isn't cleaning."

The rabbits then moved the rub and pushed the dirt out of the house.

"Yes, that's much better." Lana said with a smile as she scratched behind the rabbit's ear.

Lana and a few of the squirrels then got to work cleaning a large organ. She figured she could learn to play it for the children. The birds then brought in flowers to liven up the room and used a pouch they'd brought to water the flowers.

With the house cleaned up, everyone then helped put away the clothes and the toys. As the toys were put away, the stag helped Lana take the clothes she couldn't carry, which wasn't very much, and she and several raccoons began washing the clothes, and Lana hung them to dry. She noticed that they were very odd clothes. One was a blue cloak with an odd clasp that had the silhouette of a Raven on it. There was a long black cape that Lana figured must be for drying the children off. She shrugged and guessed that they had a range of different tastes in clothing.

 _So whistle while you work._

After finishing cleaning, Lana relaxed by the wall and found a book entitled, _The Magician's Nephew_ by CS Lewis.

* * *

Is there anything Disney animals can't do?


	4. Heigh-Ho

Chapter 4: Heigh-Ho

In a cave deep in the mountains, seven children were working to get some precious stones to be able to survive in the world. Inspired by the Justice Society, they dressed in protective outfits that hid their identity.

The leaders were ten-year-old children named Rachel Roth, Conner Kent, Barbara Gordon, and Mia Dearden. Right under them was a nine-year-old known as Jaime Reyes and an eight-year-old named Megan Morse. At the bottom of the chain of command was a seven-year-old named Dick Grayson. To make things go by quicker, and to stop Dick from complaining, they sang a work song, which only Rachel objected to.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _In our mine the whole day through._

 _To dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _Is what we have to do._

" _It's not a trick._ " Conner said as he used his heat vision to easily cut through the walls. " _You get rich quick._ "

" _If you dig-dig-dig with a shovel or a pick._ " Rachel said as he dug out a diamond the size of Albert Einstein's brain.

" _In a mine._ " Jaime said as his echo repeated, " _In a mine._ "

" _In a mine!_ " Barbara repeated as she liked the way the echo sounded. " _In a mine!_ "

 _Where a million diamonds…_

 _Shine!_

As they blinked in wonder, Megan was driving a cart with her Martian telekinesis while she was reading a book called _The Once and Future King_.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _From morning until night._

Megan saw a fly buzzing around and smashed him.

 _We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig_

 _Up everything in sight._

Megan then dropped the diamonds in front of Mia, who used a hammer to see how good the diamonds were. If they weren't good, she'd toss them on the floor.

 _We dig up diamonds by the score._

 _Diamonds rubies sometimes more._

 _And we're not sure what we dig them for._

 _We dig-dig-diggity-dig._

Dick's job was to sweep up the rejects and throw them in a landfill. As he watched Mia observe a very large diamond, he picked up two of them. A few minutes later, he tugged on Mia's sleeve, and he turned around to see Dick with the diamonds in his eyes. Mia then knocked the diamonds out with a slight thump on the head.

Mia then looked at the clock to see that it was already five in the afternoon.

" _Heigh-ho!_ " Mia called as a way to sound the end of the day.

" _Heigh-ho!_ " Everyone called back to show they heard. They then headed back home.

 _Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!_

They then walked off with about three diamonds each to tide them over for a while.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

The rest of the diamonds were then put into a safe as Dick put the key in his pocket to keep safe until the next day.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho, hum._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho,_

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho,_

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's home from work we go._

 _Heigh-ho, heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho, heigh-ho._

 _Heigh-ho._

Yeah, that's what I'm using for the dwarves. Deal with it.

* * *

No flaming if you don't like it by the way.


	5. Meeting Lana

Chapter 5: Meeting Lana

As night fell, the animals returned to their home except for a few birds and the family of deer.

"Let's see what's upstairs." Lana said, and she went up to find a bedroom with seven beds. "Oh what adorable beds, and they have their names carved on them." Lana then proceeded to read the names. "'Mia' 'Barbara' 'Conner' 'Dick'" Lana giggled good-naturedly. "What funny names for children. 'Rachel', 'Jaime', and 'Megan'." Lana then yawned. "I better hit the hay."

Lana then laid down across Barbara, Conner, and Dick's beds as the deer went to sleep on the floor. The birds then put the candle out with their tails and covered Lana up before flying down stairs.

Suddenly, the deer were awakened by the sounds of people coming, and they returned to the forest for fear of being attacked by the cottage's inhabitants.

()()()()()

The group returned home as Mia led the way with a flashlight.

"Look!" Mia suddenly said as he stopped abruptly and everyone slammed into him. "Our house. The light's lit!"

Everyone then snuck to the side and looked at the house.

"Jiminy Cricket." Dick said in a low whisper as he looked.

"The door's open." Mia pointed out as light was coming through the doorway.

"Looks like smokes coming from the chimney." Jaime said.

"Something's in there." Conner remarked.

"You don't think it's someone bad, do you?" Barbara asked.

"Could be anything." Jaime said.

"It's definitely human sized, but I can't tell exactly what it is." Conner said as he used his x-ray vision to look into the house.

"Oh man, we're in trouble." Jaime said.

"Either way, something's up." Rachel said. "We better approach it carefully."

"How?" Dick asked.

"Let's sneak up on it." Barbara said.

"Right." Mia said. "Follow me."

They nervously snuck to the house and went inside. Mia slowly opened the door which appeared to creek louder than it normally did, but they just put that off to nerves. They then tip-toed in as Dick slammed the door shut.

"SHH!" They all hissed at Dick.

"SHH!" Dick hissed at the door.

"We better search every nook and cranny." Mia said.

"Yeah, and we should search everywhere too." Dick said, which earned him a slap from Rachel.

"Ouch!" Dick exclaimed.

"Guys, be quiet." Rachel hissed.

As Mia, Conner, and Megan checked one area of the house, Mia looked down and gasped.

"Look at the floor!" Mia called out in surprise. "It's been swept!"

"Who on Earth would break into a house to sweep a floor?" Megan asked incredulously.

Rachel rubbed a finger against one of the chairs at the table and looked.

"The chair's been dusted." She observed.

"The windows are all washed." Barbara stated.

"No cobwebs anywhere." Jaime stated.

"The whole place is cleaner than an operating room." Mia said in surprise.

"Someone's definitely been in here." Rachel said. "We're lucky if we manage to clean the place once a week, and we never get it this clean. There's dirty work a foot."

"The sink's empty." Conner said as he looked inside with Megan. "Guys, someone stole our dishes."

"No they didn't!" Barbara said exasperatedly. "They just cleaned them and put them in the cupboard."

"Yeash, if we end up finding that Courtney Cox lady from Friends, I'm gonna laugh." Megan said.

"Hey, they washed my cup!" Jaime groaned as he ran his finger around it. "No more sugar!"

"Good." Megan said. "The last thing we need is you all hopped up on sugar again."

Barbara and Dick approached a bubbling pot.

"Something's cooking in there." Barbara said as she sniffed. "And it smells pretty good."

Barbara made to grab a ladle when Rachel grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

"Are you stupid?!" Rachel asked. "That could be poison!"

As if on cue, the pot hissed.

"AHH!" Dick exclaimed.

"Why do I bother?" Rachel said.

Mia then drew everyone's attention to the table.

"Look what happened to the table!" Mia said as Jaime picked up some golden rods that were there.

"Hey cool, flowers." Brainiac 5 said. "Look at this Conner, golden rods."

"Oh no!" Conner said as his nose began to get stuffed up. "My nose, I've had hay fever for the last few weeks! You know I can't stand it, Jaime! I ca- I coo- I c-"

"HIT THE DECK!" Rachel called out. As Dick, Jaime, and Megan ducked, Rachel, Barbara, and Mia held their fingers to his nose.

"Phew." Conner said. "Thanks guys… AH CHOO!"

The other six were then blown into the wall.

"Sweet Santa!" Barbara exclaimed.

"A very fine time you picked to sneeze!" Rachel whispered angrily at Conner, her best friend.

"I couldn't help it!" Conner whispered back. "When you've gotta, you've gotta… Uh-oh. I've gotta again.

"GRAB HIM!" Rachel called out. They pounced on Conner and tied a handkerchief around his nose, which served to muffle his sneeze and stop any more accidental super-breaths.

"Thanks." Conner said. Everyone's first thought was that he looked like that member of the Justice League called Vigilante.

"We've gotta keep quiet." Rachel said. "We could all end up messing with whatever's in here if we're not careful."

They then heard an odd sound from upstairs.

"Whatever's in here is up there." Mia said.

"In the bedrooms." Barbara said.

"Uh-oh." Dick exclaimed.

"Someone's gotta go up and chase whatever's up there down." Mia said.

They all nodded their heads, and six of them looked at Dick as he looked behind him before remembering that there were only seven of them.

"Me?" Dick asked in a squeaky whisper.

Dick tried to creep off before he was grabbed by Rachel and Conner. They then pulled him in front of Mia as he held up a flash light that he'd turned on and was shaking as bad as Dick.

"Here." Mia said nervously. "Take it. Don't be nervous."

Mia then mustered his own courage and put the flash light in Dick's hand and shoved him up the stairs. At the landed outside of the bedrooms, Dick turned around to look at the others several steps below him.

"Don't be afraid." Mia said. "We're right behind you."

"Yeah." They all said. "Right behind you."

"Mm." Dick said nervously as he walked up and entered the bed room. In the light of the flash light, Dick saw something groan sleepily as it stretched underneath several sheets.

"AHHHHH!" Dick called out and ran down the stairs.

"Here it comes!" Rachel said as he got an attack ready before they were all bowled over by something, and they ran straight out of the door. Dick then tried to follow, but the door wouldn't open.

"It's trying to get out!" Mia screamed!

"Don't let it out!" Rachel said calmly.

"Hold it shut!" Conner added.

This added greatly to Dick's fears that the creature and woken up. He didn't dare look behind him and tried harder to open the door until the door knob broke off, and Dick fell into several pots and pans that landed all over him. Now sure that the creature had woken up, he ran for his life right out the door. This was the scariest night of his life!

()()()()()

Outside the cottage, everyone waited in the trees for the creature, whatever it was, to attack. They pounced down on what appeared to be some kind of metal creature and kept attacking until Mia realized something.

"Hold on guys!" Mia shouted. "It's only Dick."

"Yeah, it's only-D'oh!" Dick exclaimed as Rachel hit him again with her stick. "What was that for?!"

"Scaring me for no good reason!" Rachel retorted.

"Did you see it?" Conner asked?

"Yeah!" Dick said panting.

"How big is it?" Barbara asked.

"Huge!"

"What was it?" Rachel asked.

"A dragon!" Dick said as the creature was large enough to be.

"Has it got horns?" Conner asked.

"Yeah!"

"Was it breathing fire?" Mia asked.

"Yeah!" Dick said.

"Was it drooling?" Jaime asked.

"Yeah!" Dick said.

"Stop saying yeah and tell us what it was doing!" Rachel shouted.

"It was sleeping." Dick said.

"A monster's asleep in our beds?!" Mia exclaimed.

"Let's get it while it's sleeping." Rachel proposed.

"Good idea." Barbara said.

"Let's go!" Conner proclaimed and they went off.

They made it back to the bedroom and opened the door to see the thing yawning again, and it was covering Conner, Barbara, and Dick's beds.

"Great Krypton!" Conner exclaimed.

"Heaven above!" Barbara added.

"What a monster." Conner said.

"No kidding." Jaime replied. "It's covering three beds."

"Let's get it before it wakes up!" Mia whispered.

"Which end do we get?" Barbara asked, but everyone shushed her.

They then surrounded the creature and prepared to fight when Mia lifted the sheet, and they all stopped.

It wasn't a monster. It was a very lovely girl. With black hair, and she was in a sky blue outfit.

"Whoa!" Mia exclaimed.

"What is it?" Barbara asked.

"It's a girl." Mia said.

"She's really pretty." Conner said.

"She looks like an angel." Jaime said.

"Angel?" Rachel said. "She's a stranger. What would someone like her be doing here?"

"Shh!" Mia said. "You'll wake her up."

"Let her wake up then." Rachel said. "She's trespassing."

"Hey, she's moving!" Conner said nervously.

"She's waking up!" Barbara said.

"What do we do?!" Conner asked.

"Hide!" Mia said, and they ducked down as the girl yawned and got up.

()()()()()

"Oh my…" Lana said with a yawn as she got up. "Just what I needed. I wonder if the children are-"

Lana then looked down and gasped in pleasant surprise as she saw the children.

"Oh you're so cute." Lana said like a babysitter. The children then stood up, and she saw that they were in several outfits. Maybe they were play acting. "How are you?" Lana asked, but none of them answered. "I said 'How are you?'"

"How are we what?" Said a girl dressed in a black outfit with a blue cloak, held in place by a red clasp.

"Oh you can talk!" Lana said excitedly. "I'm so glad!"

"Now do not tell me who you are, let me guess." Lana said. "Now you…" She said as she looked at a girl in red with a yellow hood. "You're… Mia."

"Oh, yes." Mia said with a nervous smile.

Lana then looked at a boy who appeared to be in blue mechanical armor.

"You are Jaime." Lana said.

"Y-yeah." Jaime said as he blushed.

"And you…" Lana said as she looked at a girl with red hair, blue eyes, and chalk white skin. "You're… Megan?"

"How'd you guess?" Megan asked.

"I just kinda took a stab at it." Lana said. She then turned to a boy in a black shirt with the letter S on his chest. "And you're Conner."

"Yeah." Conner said as he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"And you're…" Lana said as she turned to a girl with short red hair.

"Barbara, ma'am." Barbara said. "And this is Dick."

"Hi." Dick said nervously.

"Don't worry, he's shy around strangers." Barbara explained.

"Oh, that is too bad." Lana said as she smiled, and Dick smiled nervously as well. She then turned to the last girl. She folded her arms moodily.

"Oh…" Lana said deepening her voice to try and get the girl to smile. "You must be Rachel."

"She's good at this." Mia said.

"We know who we are." Rachel said shortly. "What we don't know is who _you_ are and what _you're_ doing here."

"Oh how silly of me." Lana said as she blushed. "I am Lana Lang."

"Lana?!" Everyone asked. "The princess?!"

"Yeah." Lana said with a smile.

"Well your highness." Mia said respectively. "We're honored hosts. We're… Uh…"

"Mad as hornets!" Rachel interrupted.

"Mad as hornets!" Mia said before shaking his head.

"Wait, no we're not." Mia said. "Ah, what was I saying?!"

"Nothing, just sputtering like an idiot as usual!" Rachel said.

"Hey who's sputtering like an idiot?!" Mia asked angrily.

"That's enough you two." Conner said as he flew in-between the two.

"I say we tell her to get out." Rachel said.

"Please don't send me away." Lana pleaded. "If you do, she'll kill me."

"Kill you?" Conner asked.

"Who?" Mia asked.

"My step-mother Queen Isobel." Lana stated.

"Isobel?!" Everyone asked.

"She's wicked!" Jaime said.

"She's bad!" Barbara agreed.

"She's mean!" Conner added.

"She's a vain and power-hungry witch." Rachel said calmly. "I'm warning all of you. If Isobel finds out she's here, she'll tear the whole place apart just because of Lana being here."

"But she doesn't even know where I am." Lana said.

"Oh yeah?" Rachel asked. "Well from all the stories I've heard, she has enough black magic to easily figure out where someone is, and it doesn't take magic to make someone invisible. For all we know she's in this room right now."

"Oh my god!" Dick said before he looked down Barbara's shirt to look for Isobel, and Barbara punched him in the face.

"Oh she'd never find me here." Lana said cheerfully. "And if you let me stay, I'll do the cleaning for you. I can wash, sow, sweep, cook-"

"COOK?!" Everyone said at the same time as they were tired of Rachel and Conner buying them cereal from some town.

"Can you make apple dumplings?" Mia asked.

"Yes." Lana said. "And plum pudding, and goose berry pie-"

"GOOSE BERRY PIE?!" Everyone called out. "Hooray! She stays!"

Rachel rubbed her temples. She didn't think any good would come out of this.

* * *

Well Rachel's trusting, isn't she?


	6. Washing Up Before Supper

Chapter 6: Washing Up Before Supper

All the talk about cooking reminded Lana about the pot she'd put on the stove. She flew down and opened it up as she took a sip of what she was making.

The seven children then walked out and sniffed.

"SOUP!" They called out and rushed down. They then sat down and fought over the bread, except Dick, who was fighting to try and get a seat.

"Uh-uh-uh." Lana said, before anyone could have a bite. "Wait a moment. Supper's not quite ready yet, so you'll have just enough time to wash."

"Wash?" Everyone asked. They'd only washed about once a week as that seemed enough.

"I knew there was a catch." Rachel muttered.

"Why do we have to wash?" Jaime asked the gang in low voices, so Starfire wouldn't hear.

"We're not going anywhere." Barbara said.

"It's not New Year or Christmas." Mia agreed.

"Oh, have you washed already?" Lana asked.

"Uh… Yes." Mia said.

"Okay, when?" Lana asked with her hands on her hips.

"When?" Mia asked. "When? Um… Last week, no month, no I mean… Recently."

"Yes." They all said. "Recently."

"Oh, recently." Lana said with a coy smile. "Then let me see your hands."

They all gulped and held their hands behind their backs.

"Let me see your hands." Lana said firmly as if she was their mother.

Mia sighed and removed his gloves to show fairly dirty hands.

"Why Mia." Lana said. "I'm surprised at you."

"Ah… Well…" Mia said nervously.

"Come on, let's see them." Lana said, and Jaime showed fairly dirty hands.

"Oh Jaime." Lana sighed. "And you, Conner?"

Conner then showed his hands to be among the dirtiest ones so far.

"Tch, tch, tch." Lana said.

Before she got to her, Barbara rubbed her hands against her pants and showed them to her, sure that it would work.

"It's worse than I thought." Lana said as she looked at Barbara's _extra_ dirty hands.

Dick eagerly took off his gloves to show her, and they were, maybe the cleanest, but still very dirty.

Megan then showed her hands, and for someone who spent most of their day using telekinesis over hands, it was hard to believe how dirty they'd gotten.

"How shocking!" Lana exclaimed before Megan looked down and hid her hands behind her back. "This'll never do. Now you kids go straight outside and wash, or you will not get a bite to eat."

"Let's go." Mia said dejectedly.

Everyone except Rachel left, with Dick slamming into wall because he was looking more at Lana.

"Well," Lana asked. "Aren't you going to wash?"

Rachel just turned his head away. Who did she think she was, her mother? She was only a few years older than her.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Lana asked with a smile, and Rachel just walked out to get away from her for a few minutes.

She then ended up slamming her face into a door.

"Oh, did you hurt yourself?" Lana asked, but Rachel just kept walking until she was out of the house. "Aliens!" She muttered.

()()()()()

"Okay guys, courage." Mia said. "Don't be nervous."

"Are we really gonna do this?" Jaime asked.

"Well, it'll please Starfire." Mia said.

"I'm sure she has our best interests at heart." Barbara said.

"Me too." Everyone else agreed.

"I'm telling you guys," Rachel said. "Give that girl an inch, and she'll walk all over you."

"Ah, don't listen to that sour puss." Mia said dismissively. "Come on, guys."

"How hard should we scrub?" Conner asked.

"Will our fingers shrink?" Megan asked with a yawn.

"Should we get in the tub?" Dick asked.

"Should we wash where it doesn't show?" Jaime asked.

"Now don't get excited, here we go." Mia explained.

 _Step up to the tub._

 _It's not a disgrace._

 _Just pull up your sleeves,_

 _And get 'em in place._

 _Then scoop up the water,_

 _And rub it on your face,_

 _And go, blurb, blurb, blurb!_

Mia went first to demonstrate, and everyone else did as she did.

 _Pick up the soap,_

 _Now don't try to bluff._

 _Work up a lather,_

 _And when you get enough,_

 _Get a handful of water._

 _You snout and you snout,_

 _And so, blurb, blurb, blurb._

 _Get doused and soused._

 _Rub and scrub._

 _Splutter and splash all over the tub._

 _You may be cold and wet when you're done,_

 _But you've gotta admit, it's gonna be fun._

A fly came around Megan and she tricked it into going onto the soap where it ended up looking like Santa clause because of the suds.

 _So splash with all your might._

 _It's not any trick._

 _As soon as you're through,_

 _You'll feel mighty slick._

" _You bunch of nanny goats make me sick going, blurb, blurb, blurb!"_ Rachel stated.

They then washed up their hair after washing their hands and faces as they figured they should do it right, but they'd save a proper bath for tomorrow evening.

"Next thing you know, she'll be having us dress up in sailor outfits or pink dresses, as the case may be, and squirt us all with that perfume stuff." Rachel said.

"I don't mind wearing pink." Megan said.

"Oh don't listen to Rachel." Barbara said. "She's just being a big grump."

Dick then spat out all the water he'd accidentally swallowed.

"A nice group of water-lilies you guys turned out to be." Rachel said with a smirk as Mia looked up. "I'd like to see anybody make me wash if I didn't wanna."

Mia then smiled mischievously as she whispered to the others. They all smiled and walked up to Batboy as they whistled.

"GET HER!" Mia shouted out, and they all held Rachel up as Conner, Barbara, Jaime, and Mia held her limbs, so she couldn't get away.

"Hey let me go!" Rachel called out.

"Dick, set the soap." Mia said.

"Okay!" Dick said as he ran off. He grabbed the soap and was about to bring it when it slipped out of his hand, and he tried to catch it before it knocked him in the head. He then tried to pounce on it, but it just slipped and went into his mouth. "Ah man!" Dick called out. "And I didn't even say anything bad!"

He then hiccupped as several soap bubbles popped up.

Meanwhile, everyone else was giving Rachel a nice hands and face washing.

 _Now scrub good and hard._

 _It can't be denied,_

 _That he'll look might cool,_

 _As soon as he's dried._

 _With a scrap and a howl,_

 _And a blurb, blurb, blurb!_

Rachel was then let out as everyone laughed.

"She smells like a petunia." Conner said with a laugh that was shared with everyone else.

"You sure look cute, Rachel!" Barbara teased as she put her hood back on.

"Oh, you're all gonna pay for this!" Rachel shouted.

"Supper!" Lana called out from the house.

"Supper!" They all called out and ran off, leaving Rachel woozy by the tub.

"Eh." Rachel said after a while and walked in.

()()()()()

Isobel walked back to the mirror that very night as Hawkman gave her the box with her heart in it.

"Oh mirror, mirror, on the wall, who _now_ is the fairest one of all?" Isobel asked with a smug smile.

"Far off on the planet Earth, beyond the Seventh Fall, in the cottage of the Young Titans dwells Lana Lang. The fairest one of all." Slade said.

"Lana's dead in a forest." Isobel said with a smirk. "Hawkman, Carter Hall, had brought me prove." Isobel opened the box and showed it to the mirror. "Behold, her heart."

"Lana still lives, the fairest in the land." Slade insisted. "It's the heart of a pig you hold in your hands."

"The heart of a pig?!" Isobel shouted as she threw the box down. "That hawk tricked me!"

Isobel then walked down a secret flight of stairs to her lab as her servant from Earth, Brother Blood waited.

"Whoa, who spit in your caviar?" Blood asked.

"Shut up!" Isobel said. "That sentimental fool gave me the heart of a pig instead of Lana's! Looks like if I want someone killed around here, I'll have to do it myself! I'll go to the brats' cottage in such a perfect disguise that no one will ever suspect it's me."

"How perfect?" Blood asked.

"A potion." Isobel said as she took a book labeled _Disguises_. "A potion to turn my beauty into a grimace. To change my queenly array into a peddler's cloak."

Isobel found a perfect little recipe. It also had a 72 hour limit, which would give her time to make a perfect way to kill Lana, and she'd just turn back to her beautiful self afterwards.

"Mummy dust, to make me old." Isobel said as she grabbed said dust from a drawer. "To shroud my clothes, the black of night."

Isobel put in the mummy dust and added a pitch black liquid that easily became the dominant color.

"To age my voice, an old hag's cackle." Isobel said as she turned on a burner underneath a phial that held a red liquid. After it had been turned on, a bit of the red liquid shot up and laughed like an old crone and entered the goblet Isobel had put the potion into. This turned the potion red.

"To whiten my hair, a scream of fright!" Isobel turned the knob on a faucet, and a white substance poured out as a scream echoed throughout the chamber, and the potion was now a venomous green.

"A blast of wind to fan my age!" As Isobel held the goblet to the window and wind suddenly blew through it, and over the goblet. "And a thunderbolt to mix it well!"

As if on cue, a thunderbolt sounded as the potion rippled and bubbled.

"Now…" Isobel said calmly. "Begin thy magic spell."

Isobel then consumed the concoction and gasped. The room appeared to be spinning, she saw her hair flying around her face and glimpsed it turning white as salt.

"My hands!" Isobel called out as she looked at her hands and saw them become incredibly thin and claw-like. Her clothes also turned into a black musty cloak, and her very skin turned incredibly pale.

Isobel sighed, hoping for the seventy-two hours to pass quickly and heard her own sigh.

"My voice." She croaked. Her voice had become high and raspy. "My voice…"

Isobel laughed. The potion had worked. She looked into a mirror and saw an old hag with bulging green eyes and a long hook nose with a large wart on it.

"Yes!" Isobel called out. "A perfect disguise!"

Isobel turned to Blood who backed into a wall.

"HOLY CAP!" Blood called out.

"And now…" Isobel said as she pulled out a book on death potions. "A special sort of death for one so fair."

"AH!" She called out very soon. "A poisoned apple. Laced with the draught of the sleeping death."

"Huh?" Blood asked.

"'One taste of the poisoned apple, and the victim's eyes will close forever in the sleeping death…'" Isobel said as she looked up and smirked wickedly. The Wicked Witch of the West had nothing on her.


	7. Someday My Prince Will Come

Chapter Seven: Someday My Prince Will Come

That night, after dinner, which even Rachel had to admit was delicious, the kids showed Lana what they did after coming home from mines, have fun. They each played an instrument they did best with and simply sung nonsense, with Rachel playing the organ that Lana saw earlier.

Barbara then walked up and smiled.

" _I like to dance and tap my feat, but they won't keep in rhythm_." She sang. " _You see I washed them both today, and can't do a thing with them._ "

Everyone then chuckled at the choke and sang out,

 _Oh hum,da-doo-lee-dum!_

 _The words don't mean a thing!_

 _Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?_

Dick then used several pots and pans as drums and did a nice trick where he pounded on the drums before hitting a cymbal with a twirl of the stick. Jaime then stood up.

"I…" He began. "Uh…"

Rachel then blew a loud note, and that snapped Jaime to the alert.

" _I chased a pole cat up a tree._ " Jaime said. " _Way out upon a limb, and when he got the best of me, I got the worst of him._ "

 _Oh hum, da-doo-lee-dum!_

 _The words don't mean a thing!_

 _Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?_

As the music continued, Megan was pestered by that fly again.

"Hey, go away!" She said.

The fly then bothered Dick who ended up quickening the beat in his effort to get the fly. He only ended up panting as the fly landed on Megan's nose. She then made to swat it as Dick gave her a cymbal, but she only succeeded in giving herself a big headache.

"Why you…" Megan said angrily, and Dick ended up with a very bad wedgie.

Lana then danced with each of the kids, except Rachel in turn.

Dick then got on top of Conner with a long cloak.

"Hey watch it!" Conner said. "Don't tickle my nose!"

Dick made sure to keep his feat still as he put the cloak over the two, with Dick as the arms and legs and Conner as the legs. They then walked up to Lana, and she danced around a little, with Dick only nearly falling off once before he was pulled back up by Conner.

The dance went on and everyone had a great time until they heard a sneeze building up from underneath Dick's feat.

"Uh-oh." Dick said.

"Duck and cover!" Rachel called out, and everyone hid behind the organ.

"Mommy." Dick squeaked as Conner sneezed, and Dick flew up into the ceiling and floated back down by using his cape as a parachute.

Everyone laughed, and Lana sat down.

"That was fun." Lana said with a smile.

"Now it's your turn to do something." Barbara said.

"What should I do?" Lana asked.

"Tell us a story." Megan said.

"Yes, tell us a story!" The others called out.

"A true story!" Jaime said.

"A love story!" Barbara said.

"Well…" Lana said before she remembered the day she met Robin. "Once there was a princess."

"Was the princess you?" Mia asked.

"And she fell in love." Lana said with a nod.

"Was it hard to do?" Conner asked.

"It was very easy." Lana said with a laugh. "Anyone could see that the prince was charming. The only one for me."

"Was he strong and handsome?" Mia asked puffing out his chest.

"Was he big and tall?" Conner asked as he flew up.

"There's nobody like him anywhere at all." Lana said dreamily.

"Did he say he loved you?" Jaime asked.

"Did he steal a kiss?" Barbara asked.

" _He was so romantic, I could not resist._ " Lana sang out.

Everyone except Rachel then sat down as Rachel leaned against a corner.

 _Someday, my prince will come._

 _Someday, we'll meet again._

 _And away to his castle we'll go,_

 _To be happy forever, I know._

"Hmph." Rachel muttered. "Mush."

Barbara then managed to pull herself away from the story and pulled Rachel over to Lana.

 _Someday when spring is here,_

 _We'll find our love anew._

Megan was beginning to fall to sleep, just as if she was listening to a lullaby, even though she tried to resist it.

 _And the birds will sing,_

 _And wedding bells will ring,_

 _Someday when my dreams come true…_

Everyone then sighed as a clock began to chime eleven.

"Oh look at the time." Lana said. "It must be way past all of our bedtimes."

"But I'm not sleepy…" Megan said as she yawned.

"Oh yes you are." Lana said as she picked Megan up.

"No I'm not." Megan said as she made another yawn.

"Now, all of you, go to your room." Lana said kindly.

"Wait a second." Mia said. "We can pretty much sleep anywhere. The princess will sleep in our room tonight."

"But where will you be sleeping?" Lana asked.

"Oh, we'll be fine down here." Mia said.

"In a pig's eye." Rachel muttered.

"Hey, stop that!" Mia said. "Don't worry. We'll be comfortable down here. Won't we, guys?"

"Oh yeah." They all said as Dick grabbed a pillow and prepared to go to sleep on a bench.

"Don't worry about us." Barbara said. "We'll be alright."

"Go right on up." Mia said.

"Well…" Lana said. "If you insist. Good night."

"Good night princess." The children said.

"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?" Lana.

"We'll be fine." Conner said.

"Well, have pleasant dreams then." Lana said as she went inside.

Once Lana closed the door, they all headed for the pillow.

Unfortunately, it ended up ripping because everyone had dived at it. Dick shrugged and went to sleep on the bench.

()()()()()

In the children's room, Lana was saying her evening prayers.

"Bless Carter Hall for saving my life, and please help my sister overcome her anger." Lana prayed. "Bless the seven little children who have been so kind to me, and may all my dreams come true. Also, please help Rachel find it in her heart to like me. Amen."

Lana then went to sleep on the same three beds she had taken her nap in.

()()()()()

"Adults!" Rachel said as she tried to get himself comfortable in the pot that Lana's soup had been before she felt something poking in her back and pulled out the ladle. "This has been a fine kettle of fish."

She tossed the ladle onto the floor and began to go to sleep.

Jaime was sleeping near a drawer. Barbara was sleeping on top of the drawer. Mia was sleeping in the sink, getting a small drop of water in her mouth too. Conner was sleeping on top of Dick, but he woke up when Dick was whimpering like a dog he before Conner poked him in the hind leg, and he went back to sleeping peacefully.

Rachel went back to sleep as she was used to their snores by now, but the only thing he wasn't used to was someone whimpering, and Megan did just that. She was fretting like a toddler as she squirmed in bed. Rachel easily knew what had happened. Megan's stuffed rabbit, Bunny, was upstairs in the bed room. Normally, if Megan didn't have Bunny, Rachel or Barbara would go and get it for her, but Barbara was out like a light, and Rachel didn't feel like looking for a stuffed rabbit up in the bed room with Lana there, so she just got out of the pot, walked up to Dick and took his cape off. Rachel then rolled Dick's cape up and put it in Megan's arms, as she slept contentedly while Megan petted Dick's cape.

Finally with some variation of peace and quiet by now, Rachel hopped back into the pot and fell asleep.

()()()()()

Meanwhile, the old hag that would be Isobel for the next few days dipped an apple into a potion she had spent several hours making.

"Dip the apple in the brew." Isobel chanted. "Let the sleeping death seep through."

She then picked the apple up, and it had turned black with the green potion clinging to it dripped away until it made a skull image.

"Yes!" Isobel said wickedly. "Under skin, a symbol of what lies within. Now turn red to tempt Lana and make her hunger and savor."

Isobel then smirked and looked at the now beautifully red apple in her hand, sort of an opposite of her. Something ugly disguised as something delicious.

Isobel chuckled and got a mischievous look on her artificially aged face.

"Have a bit, sweetie!" Isobel said as she shoved the apple into Blood's face.

"BWAH!" Blood said as he backed away.

"Oh, you know it's not for you." Isobel said as she tickled Blood's chin with her claw like finger. "It's for Lana. When she breaks the tender skin to taste this apple, her breast will still, her blood congeal, and I'll be the fairest in the land!"

"As soon as that disguise wears off." Blood said before Isobel starred him down.

"Wait a minute." Isobel said as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "There may be an antidote. Nothing can be over-looked!"

Isobel looked at her book again and found what she was looking for.

"Here it is!" Isobel said. "'The victim of the sleeping death can be revived only by love's first kiss.' 'Love's first kiss'? Isobel said with a sneer before closing the book. "No fear of that. Those brats will think she's just dead. She'll end up buried alive!"

She then walked down a secret stairway.

"Sweet Trigon, what's that girl's problem?!" Blood asked as the door closed.

()()()()()

Isobel then made her way to a secret ship as she looked at a long dead captive of the dungeon that appeared to be reaching for water.

"Thirsty?" Isobel asked the skeleton that was left of the prisoner. "Have a drink!"

Isobel then kicked the jug, and the skeleton smashed to pieces. She then got onto the ship and rested as she thought about what she would do once Lana was out of the way. Maybe she'd seduce that little beau Lana met just to spite her soon to be buried alive step-daughter.

In a few days, Isobel landed on Earth and saw the ruined husk of the boar Carter Hall had killed to trick Isobel. She'd deal with the Thanagarian and his family after this. She only had about five hours left before the disguise wore off, and she knew Lana would never _accept_ an apple from _her_.

* * *

Aw… Rachel has a heart.

Rachel: Shut up!


	8. The Wishing Apple

Chapter Eight: The Wishing Apple

A few days later, the kids left to dig up more diamonds. The last couple of days had been very nice and peaceful. Rachel had consented to teaching Lana how to play the organ, Conner had finally managed to get over his hay fever and regain control over his super breath, Megan had become much more open to Lana.

Today, they all prepared to leave as they needed some more diamonds for money.

"Now don't forget Lana," Mia had said. "Isobel's sly and full of witchcraft, so beware of strangers."

"Don't worry." Lana said with a smile. "I'll be alright."

Lana then kissed Mia on the head.

"See you tonight, and remember to wash up before dinner." Lana said.

"Uh… Yes…" Mia gasped with a nervous smile. "Come on, guys."

"I hope you'll be really careful." Jaime said. "Why if anything happened-"

Lana then kissed him on the head, and he blushed so much, you'd think he had more blood than he actually did.

"Good-bye." Lana said cheerfully.

"Ah, gee!" Jaime said as he walked off.

"That is disgusting." Rachel muttered from the back of the line.

"And be sure to watch out." Conner said as he left, and Lana kissed him. "Thanks."

Dick later came up and tugged on Lana's cape as he puckered up. Lana smiled kindly, gently bent Dick's head down, and kissed him. He then left and came back just a few moments later.

"Oh alright." Lana said with a chuckle as she kissed him on the head. "But that's the last-"

Dick then ran off like a cheetah and came back as one too, except as a cub.

"Oh, run along." Lana said with a chuckle, and Dick went off.

"Bye." Megan said as she was holding _The Magician's Nephew_ in her hand. "Now remember, you promised we could talk about this book when we get home."

"Yes, I remember." Lana said before kissing Megan on the cheek and she walked off.

Rachel took her mask off and put up some stray bangs before putting her mask back on.

Barbara then received a kiss on the cheek and walked off as she helped Megan along.

 _Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho._

 _It's off to work we go._

Rachel then coughed to let Lana know he was there.

"Now I'm warning you." Rachel said as she removed her hood. "Don't let anyone or _anything_ in this house unless you know them like the back of your hand."

"Why Rachel," Lana said with a smile. "You do care."

Lana then kissed Rachel on the forehead, and she put her hood back on and walked off before he stopped and smiled a little. It was just like what her mom had done before she passed away. She shook her head and walked off.

()()()()()

Isobel walked slowly to the cottage as she chuckled to herself. Only an hour left, and Lana was an easy five minutes' walk away.

"Those little brats won't be at home." Isobel chuckled evilly. "And she'll be on her own. With a harmless old peddler woman." She chuckled again. "A _harmless_ old peasant woman."

()()()()()

Lana decided to use this time to make some goose-berry pies for the children as a surprise and began making the last one after putting the other six on the table.

 _Someday my prince will come._

 _Someday we'll meet again._

 _And away to his castle we'll go._

 _To be happy forever I know._

She then placed the top of the pie on the last one and cut off the excess with a small knife. After that, she put the crust she cut off and put it on top of the pie, so that it spelled, "Rachel".

 _Someday, when Spring is near,_

 _We'll find our love anew,_

 _And the birds will sing,_

 _And wedding bells will ring._

 _Someday, when my dreams come true…_

Lana then looked up and gasped as she saw an old woman with a long hooked nose, greasy white hair, and bulging green eyes. Out of her black cloak, Lana saw two hands that were so skinny that they looked more like claws.

"All alone my dear?" The old woman asked in a high raspy voice that seemed slightly familiar to Lana.

"Uh…" Lana said nervously. "Well yes I am."

"What?" The woman said in surprise. "But you're only a girl, you can't be older than sixteen. Aren't either of your parents or any little brothers or sisters around?"

"Well, my parents died when I was still a little girl." Lana said. "But the children are away for a little while."

"Hmm…" The old woman said. "Making pies?"

"Yes, goose-berry." Lana said. "They're the children's favorite."

"Then they haven't tried apple pies." Isobel said with a smile. "They can make any little child's mouth water. Made from nice apples, like these."

The old woman picked up an apple that was so beautifully red that Lana couldn't help staring at it.

"They look delicious." Lana said.

"Yes, but wait until you taste it." The old woman said sweetly. "Would you like to try one? Go on… Go on and have a bite."

Before Lana could grab the apple, the birds began attacking the poor old woman.

"Hey, you leave her alone!" Lana said as she threw a flare of Dick's into the air to frighten them off. "You should be ashamed of yourselves for attacking a poor old helpless lady like that!"

The woman made sure the apple was still alright, and Lana put her arms on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Lana asked.

"Oh, my heart!" The woman said as she clutched her chest. "My poor heart. Get me into the house and give me a drink of water."

"Oh, of course." Lana said as she helped the old woman inside.

()()()()()

The animals looked into the window and saw Lana go off to get the old hag some water. They could tell that something wasn't quite right about her, and they saw her look at the apple and then at Lana, and they knew something terrible would happen if she ate it. They then ran off towards a diamond mine where they knew the children were.

()()()()()

The children arrived at the mine and were about to get to work. They began to push a small track car full of any digging equipment they'd need, and Dick accidentally shoved Megan inside.

"Ouch!" Megan said.

"Sorry." Dick said meekly.

Suddenly, several animals arrived and began pulling at their capes and hair like there was no tomorrow.

"Get out of here!" Rachel said as she swatted some birds away.

"Hey, let go!" Dick shouted as several birds were beginning to pull him away.

"What's going on here?!" Mia shouted as a doe was shoving Mia away from the mine.

"They've gone crazy!" Jaime called out.

"No kidding." Conner said as he blew, and the birds and squirrels that were pulling on his cape and feet were blown away, but they came right back.

()()()()()

Lana had given the lady a drink of water, and she smiled kindly like a grandmother… Or at least how Lana imagined grandmothers smiled as she never saw one.

"And because you've been so good to dear old Granny," the lady said kindly. "I'll let you in on a secret. This is no ordinary apple. It's a magic wishing apple."

"A wishing apple?" Lana asked in awe.

"Yes." The lady said. "One bite, and all your dreams come true."

"Really?" Lana asked as she thought of Robin and how she could finally be with him.

"Yes dearie." The lady said. "Now make a wish and take a bite."

()()()()()

"Hey go away!" Barbara shouted as a dear was holding her in his antlers and shoving her forward. "What's wrong with them?!"

"I don't know, but they're not acting like this for nothing." Rachel said as she telekinetically shoved away several birds that nearly pulled her hood off.

"Uh-oh." Megan said as she finally managed to get herself out of the car. "What is that mean queen, Isobel's got Lana?"

"Isobel?!" They all called out in alarm. "Lana!"

"Isobel will kill her!" Rachel called out in alarm. "We've gotta save her!"

"Yeah, we've gotta save her!" Mia shouted.

"She'll kill her!" Conner shouted.

"What do we do?!" Barbara asked.

"We go back to the house and save her!" Rachel said, and Conner, Barbara, Megan, and Mia flew off as Rachel and Jaime rode on the stag and the doe while Dick was forced to use a makeshift skateboard.

()()()()()

"There must be something your heart desires." The lady said. "Maybe someone you love?"

"Well, yes." Lana said as she blushed.

"I thought so." The lady said with a laugh. "Old Granny knows a young girl's heart. Now take the apple dearie and make your wish."

"I wish…" Lana began.

"That's it." The lady said. "Go on. Don't be afraid."

()()()()()

Getting to the cottage proved much more difficult than they thought, especially for the people who were flying as their outfits got on low hanging branches, and twice, Dick nearly fell to his death when he ran into a large gorge, but managed to survive by grappling to the other side.

()()()()()

"And that he'll carry me away to his home, and we'll live happily ever after." Lana said with a smile.

"Excellent wish my dear." Granny said. "Now take a bite."

()()()()()

The children hurried on as fast as they could.

()()()()()

"Don't let the wish grow cold." Isobel said as all _her_ dreams were about to come true.

Lana bit into the apple, and she smiled for a minute before staggering and holding her head.

"Oh… I feel strange." Lana said weakly.

"Her breath will still." Isobel said with a wicked smile as her fist began to become fuller and darker. "Her blood congeal."

Lana fell to the ground asleep, but to all but the most observant, dead, and at that moment, the disguise wore off, and Isobel was her lovely self again.

"NOW I'LL BE FAIREST IN THE LAND!" Isobel called out with wicked glee.

* * *

Oh dear…


	9. Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

Chapter Nine: Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

Isobel walked out as a storm quickly started. She was still laughing to herself when she saw seven children in odd outfits coming this way.

"And of course, something has to happen to complicate things." Isobel said and she flew off to a place where she could have more room to fight and eventually landed at the peak of a mountain.

The children followed after her, and she put her hand by a boulder.

"Let's see how badly I can crush their bones." Isobel said with a smirk, and she pushed the boulder.

"Look out!" A girl with a blue outfit called out. As the boulder came at them, a boy in black flew up and smashed the boulder to pieces.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Isobel said as her eyes glowed purple. She then flew up as a bolt of lightning broke the ledge she was standing on and illuminated her face. "You know, my ex-husband doesn't believe in spankings, but I'm more of a fan of physical punishments. They really drive the message home."

Isobel then fired a purple star bolt from her hand.

"Hide!" The girl in blue called out, and all seven children hid behind a wall.

"Come on out, kiddies." Isobel said with a smirk. "We're not playing hide-and-seek you know."

()()()()()

Rachel gathered everyone around.

"Okay, our only chance to stop her is to surround her." Rachel explained. Conner, you, Barbara, Mia, and Megan fly up, and cover her from behind. Megan, keep Mia afloat.

"Got it!" Megan said with a nod.

Jaime, Dick, and I attack from the front."

"Yeah, I'll use a buzz-saw arrow to slice her up!" Mia said.

"No buzz-saw arrow." Rachel said.

"Why not?" Mia asked.

"Because it's stupid!" Megan said.

"Megan, not now." Barbara said calmly, and they split up as the ground unit ran up and dodged Isobel's attacks while Jaime and Rachel attacked with proton cannons and mystic blasts respectively. Isobel defended herself very well when the kids flew up, and Conner tapped her shoulder.

"What?!" Isobel asked, and Conner punched her in the face.

"How could you?!" Isobel cried out. "I'm a woman!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Conner said. "I…"

"Conner, look out!" Rachel said as Jaime tied up Isobel's hands with a grappling line, and Barbara pulled her crown over her eyes.

"Hey, I can't see!" Isobel said.

"That's the point." Rachel said.

"Wait, I hear something." Conner said as he looked up before his eyes widen. "Move!"

They all dodged as they forgot to grab Isobel, and she was struck by lightning and fell into a ravine.

"We better see if she's okay." Mia said as they headed down.

()()()()()

Isobel found herself floating over the kids. She sneered and prepared to attack one of them with a bolt of mystical energy, but nothing happened. She continued after them as they came across a body she couldn't make out.

"Oh…" The girl in purple groaned. "No way she survived that."

"Yeah." The girl in blue said. "Let's get home."

"You're not going anywhere!" Isobel called out as she tried to stand in front them, but they all walked through her. She got confused and walked over to the body, and to her horror, she found her own body, burnt and scared by the lightning and unmistakably dead. Isobel then realized what had happened. Whether by an instinctive attempt to lash out at the children or some cruel twist of fate chosen long before today, she had been trapped in limbo. For the rest of her days, she'd wander the world as a disembodied spirit, and she screamed. A horrible scream that no one ever heard.

* * *

Yeah… I got the idea from what happened to Darth Tenebrous in Star Wars.


End file.
